FSU coach Mike Norvell speaks with the media following Sunday's second scrimmage of preseason camp.
Opening statement
"Morning everybody. Really pleased with what I saw this morning, went about an hour and a half, roughly 90-95 snaps (including) the special teams' work. Probably 80-85 offensively and defensively. Everybody got a chance to participate today. Thought it was a good second scrimmage. Offense came out, really did well there early (in) different situations, two-minute drive. Tried to create some things that I wanted to make sure we saw. Two minutes situation, red zone offense series, two-point plays situations, and then you know, just went out and played ball. Tried to take the situations when they came up.
"Thought our guys competed. Jordan did an outstanding job today in his work. Johnny (Wilson), Keon (Coleman), Jaheim (Bell), all guys that showed up with scores at some point throughout today. There were some good runs.
"I thought the defensive line was impactful in creating some pressure on the quarterback. Saw guys flying around. There were a few missed tackles that we got to clean up but we created a takeaway or two, something we want to do. Greedy Vance got an interception which was a very good play on his behalf. All in all, a really good work day for us.
"Our guys have competed hard through 15 practices and we still have kind of a modified day that's going to show up on Wednesday as we continue to work on establishing what it’s gonna look like as we get into our LSU prep. But I think this film, and just the way our guys competed, is really going to help and put some guys in position to be able to help us and emerge in bigger roles. Like I told the team, there's guys that have played a lot of football, and you got to work and you got to go get better to have a spot. I really like our depth, I like the competitiveness within each (segment) room. But you know, as we're getting closer every day counts, every rep counts. Get a couple of days off, let our bodies heal up a little bit. And like I said, our guys have been pushing at a very high level. So tomorrow, we'll be off. We're going to be doing meetings on Tuesday, and then we'll come back to work on Wednesday as we prep to get into game week there that following Sunday.
"All in all, really pleased with the guys. No major injuries that showed up today, which is something that you know second scrimmage, you’re always concerned about. I thought our guys went and played. Jared (Verse) was impactful early. I thought Tatum Bethune, he’s been limited a little bit, he really flew around and you see his presence back there. Kalen Deloach, I thought did some good things. Definitely fun seeing guys fly around."
On the offensive line through 15 practices and especially today, how do you feel about that group that you feel like is emerging as your first five up?
"I feel really good. And you mentioned the first five up, I think we have eight guys that have put themselves in a position that I think (with) these guys, we can go win with. And you know, there's still some moving pieces. There's still some things that we're gonna look at. I feel like there's a couple of guys below (those eight who) can play themselves up into expanding that group. Especially early on today, I thought that group was really good. We limited some guys, Maurice (Smith) didn't get a ton of work today. Him and Casey (Roddick) were probably the first two that we pulled after however many reps, 20 reps or so. And those guys have looked really good.
"Jeremiah Byers, love what I'm seeing from him. Rob Scott, Bless Harris, I mean it's an impressive group. And obviously we have (Dmitri Emmanuel). I could go through most of those guys, but really like the way they work together, even when they're being moved in different positions because that's part of the game. Darius Washington, I think he's playing his best ball since he’s been here and he played some center today. Obviously, we all know the versatility he brings. I thought he did a really nice job."
Is it kind of fun when you see like the top 22 or 25 or 30 guys get out there and get a clearer picture of what it might look like on Sept. 3?
"That was one of the things that was important about today. To see that first offense go out and see different guys play with and play off of each other, and the ways that we can utilize (their) different skill sets, talents. I feel like we have a really good two-deep that can play on both sides of the ball. There's not a position right now that I’m overly concerned with. There might be some positions, we get a couple of injuries or a couple of guys down, that could be thin quickly. But I love the competitiveness and then seeing how not necessarily just an 11 that go out there but to see within the course of a series where you have 16-18 guys that might find a way in different personnel groupings or whatever the situation calls for or just in base substitutions and the way our guys are pushing with that.
"I thought our tempo was better today but something we still have to improve. It's going to be a critical factor here these next two weeks is be able to play faster. And I'm not just talking about offense. It’s defense, everybody involved in the efficiency of our communication, and we're trying to create those challenging elements. But it's good to see them out there and all working together."
What impact do you see the A-game of Johnny (Wilson), Keon (Coleman), and Jaheim (Bell) will have on your offense this year?
"I think the experience that those guys bring, the playmaking ability that they bring, the physicality that they bring, because it's not just you can talk about guys catching the ball, but I mean just they're all big, strong, determined blockers which does great things for the run game. It allows us to maintain great balance and hopefully creating more one-on-one opportunities for guys there on the edge, but I think it's a really good group and it's something exciting. Destyn Hill had a really big catch in two-minute situation, made a big play there. Even Winston Wright got back out there today and he was a guy I wanted to see in extensive work and he had a big play, made a guy miss. You start looking at where that group can go on the perimeter, you know, the multiple tight ends, multiple receivers. We should be able to play fast, we should be able to stay fresh and we should be able to have a lot of different options of where to go with the ball depending on what we're seeing. So it still (comes) down to us and our execution and the efficiency. But I like the growth I'm seeing."
What do you think's been the biggest difference for the defense in creating turnovers this preseason?
"We got really good players and I think Coach Surtain has done a remarkable job of continuing to build upon the tools and the skill sets that they have and playing the ball. We want guys that are playmakers back there and I think we've got a good group of that. But then also, when you have a defensive front that can create pressure, make things uncomfortable for the offense and the quarterback, Coach Fuller does a great job with variations of looks and schemes and all that works together in allowing more opportunities to take the ball away. And we want it to be a point of emphasis. We want that to be something that this defense is known for. Whether it’s creating a takeaway or forcing a three-and-out, both can get the ball back to the offense as quick as possible. So those are things that we’re really tied into and I know our guys are working hard to be the best we can in that regard."
You spoke about Jordan having a good day. How did the other quarterbacks do and how do you view the QB2 situation after 15 practices?
"I think they all had their moments today. I think Tate (Rodemaker) has that really good fall camp. You see AJ (Duffy), Brock (Glenn). Brock is progressing at a very high level and I really like the consistency of what he’s shown but he had a couple of plays today that, you know, he's got to learn from and that’s part of being a true freshman but ultimately, for where we are right now, nobody’s gonna stop a game just because a true freshman is put themselves in position to step on the field. We all have to push. I think Tate, his overall understanding of the offense and what we want to do, we’ve seen it live in action. But all those guys are continuing to compete and today’s film will be great evaluation, but we grade everything. So we have 15 practices, two scrimmages. Like I mentioned last week, we had a couple guys live that we wanted to see with the possibility of being hit, just what it looks like. So we've got great evaluation in all those areas and definitely excited about about that quarterback room. It's a talented room and it's one that I believe that we have one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Jordan Travis and ultimately we’ve got guys that we can win with that are in that room with him."
On if there’s impressive freshmen demanding playing time
“Yeah, I mean it’s been impressive watching that group as they’re coming in and learning. The defensive back group: Ashlynd Barker, Conrad Hussey, Edwin Joseph. You know, you go through all of them. Quin [Quindarrius Jones] has been here, so we kind of understand what he’s going to be, and he has a great future. You can see the defensive back room is really, really good. I think more of those guys will be able to help us this year as they continue to progress. A couple guys have stood out to me at linebacker, like Justin Cryer and Blake Nichelson. Both of those guys are really taking steps, battling to see if it’s 5, 6, where they’re going to sit in that rotation and battling for that time defensively, but on the flip-side of it, guys who can be great impact players for us on special teams. Offensively, Destyn Hill is the guy at the skill positions, but all of our tight ends have a chance, which is something that we really tried to create, and these guys have really embraced that. Most of the other receivers are more veteran and have shown that they can do that.”
Competition of kicking room and who is standing out
“It’s been great. Today, we had a game-winning kick situation that showed up in the two-minute portion of it, and we were able to go out there and execute. Same thing as a quarterback, you grade every day, you chart every kick, looking at what team, whether it’s charting team pressure situations, and I like what I see. Not ready to say one way or the other, but we’ve had some great consistency from both of those guys [Fitzgerald and Keltner] can absolutely with us or win for us, but I think it’s a very talented kicking room that has absolutely improved through the competition, so I’m proud of those guys. I thought Alex [Mastromanno] had his best day punting today, putting in the work that he had. He did a remarkable job and I really like where he’s at as well.”
What’d you see from the running backs and the depth of that room?
“We had Trey [Benson] and LT [Lawrance Toafili] in green jerseys. They were live last week, and we’ve seen a lot of good work out of those guys and their approach to practice. Didn’t need to see them tackled to the ground a lot of times here today. They got some work and did some good things, but really like the emergence of that next group of backs. Rodney [Hill] was a little limited this week, plan on getting him back active and rolling here this upcoming week. He had a remarkable scrimmage last week. Caziah [Holmes] has really emerged as a guy that can help us as well as CJ Campbell. Both of them had big runs today. CJ looked really good on a couple of cuts and making guys miss. But I think that group, we have five guys that I feel really comfortable being able to go in and play at a high level. Obviously we feel like we have dynamic players there, and we’ll see what that looks like. Trey Benson, him and LT have played a lot of football here, but you’ve got guys who can be very explosive and dynamic with and without the ball in their hands, so I really like that group. I’ll tell you a guy I was proud of today was Sam Singleton. He’s kind of been nursing a little bit of an ankle this past week, but he came out today and showed speed, showed elusiveness. We needed that day for him. He had a really good first week, week and a half, but I’m proud of Sam, I had to go up to him after the scrimmage and give him a little love, because that was exciting for what we needed and I think a little bit for what he needed too."
On FSU's work ethic in the offseason and camp
“I’ve been really pleased with the approach and the work. One of our first less-physical practices, I mean we practice physical and you know we’re going to go out there and push each other to get better, but one of the first days that we took the pads, or backed off a little bit of the physicality part of it. We had a mental lapse when we were a few periods into practice. It was addressed, it was corrected and improved upon. I’ve been proud of this team. And it’s life. You go through life and there’s times where you want to find the moments to be comfortable, you want to find the moments to take a break, to take a rest. We build times for rest in, but when it’s time to work, we’ve got to work, and that’s where the maturity of the team is something I've been pleased with. The competitiveness of the team, even guys who have not been available at times, to see the engagement that they have from a mental aspect. I mean, Shyheim Brown today was awesome. We were repping some of the younger guys, and he’s standing out there in the middle of the field with me, helping coach some of the new secondary guys. He could be over there sitting on the sideline and drinking water or Powerade, but he chose to come out. That’s what you want within a team. You want to see guys that encourage each other, they push each other, because the emotion and the desire that you have to want to take a break will always be there, but when you’re willing to push and do a little bit more, that’s where you get a chance to take some giant steps. We still have another week before school starts, so those challenges I’m sure will be there for us, and we get to make the choice of how we respond.”
Where did energy start happening?
“It’s a progression in life. Everyone comes from different places, different backgrounds, had different expectations, but when you get here, there’s one expectation: to get better every day and push to be your best. That is what the expectation is, and it’s not any different for the freshman that comes in than for the head coach. If we can not be that for each other, then we probably arent willing to do all the things that are necessary to go accomplish all that we have in front of us. I tell you guys all the time that I'm not going to set limits on this team. I really love coaching this team. I love coaching this team because I watched the growth, I see the maturity. I mean, you have to have momentary failures as we go through this too. You have to get knocked down, because I think in those times, you get a chance to get up, get better, and see who’s really going to help hold you accountable. If you didn’t care, we wouldn’t do it, but we care about these guys and their growth. So yes, are we better now than we were in the spring? We have to be. But on the flip-side of it, I think it’s been something that has been built here over the years, and when guys come in in the recruiting process, they know the expectation. That’s why I tell them all the time: Florida State is not for everybody, it is just for the real ones. It’s for the ones that when they say they want to go accomplish great things, we’re going to go help them work towards it.”
What has coach Surtain brought to the staff and the players?
“It starts with relationships. The football IQ, the experiences, all those things, that’s the extra benefit. You see a man that cares about people, and he cares about the staff. He cares about who he gets to do it with. You see a man that really cares about his players, not just the guys that are sitting in his room, but you know, seeing the engagement that he has across the entire team, its what we want. Been fortunate throughout my coaching career to be around a lot of great assistant coaches, guys that are now head coaches and you watch how they interact with each other. There are two characteristics that are an absolute necessity in any person that comes and works on this staff and one, they’ve got to be led from the heart. Relationships have to matter. And then they got to be willing to pour everything into the guys they have on a daily basis, not just who they are on the field but making sure that in every area that we’re willing to give all to help our players achieve what they can achieve. And Pat is a wonderful example of that. He did it at the high school ranks, and you saw the growth and development and the incredible program that he was able to build up but then on the flip side of it, you know what he's been able to do here in eight months, it's been really, really special.”
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